The Annals of Fulda: Ninth Century Histories, Volume 2

by Timothy Reuter (Translator)

The Annals of Fulda are the principal narrative source written from a perspective east of the Rhine for the period in which the Carolingian Empire gave way to a number of successor kingdoms, including the one which was to become Germany. Timothy Reuter's translation of the Annals and his accompanying commentary is now back in print, making accessible in English the history of this east Frankish kingdom, which due to the paucity of available written material and the scarcity of secondary writings has been a relatively neglected area.

The text covers the period from the last years of unitary Frankish rule under Louis the Pious up to the end of effective Carolingian rule in east Francia with the accession of Louis the Child in 900. It does not confine itself to high politics, but also includes much material of interest for social and ecclesiastical history. Drawing on the latest scholarship, Dr Reuter places The Annals of Fulda in their full historical context, pointing to those things the authors of the Annals chose not to record or could not know about, as well as exploring the fascinating insights that are offered by the material.

Genres: History

174 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 900

About the author

Timothy Alan Reuter, Medieval historian whose career included teaching at the university of Exeter, working at the Monumenta Germaniae Historica in Munich before becoming Professor of History at the University of Southampton.

Reviews

[Michael A. Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as enjoyable as Vol. I, but still good fun. A lot of the elements that I liked from St-Bertin are still there, with a little more attention to portents, omens, and supernatural events, plus beheadings and blindings 😬

[Vittorio Pareto · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are fortunate that during the late ninth century a handful of clerics took it upon themselves to write a chronology of contemporary events. These were not official records and they were not sponsored by the king. They were the work of a series of individuals, who out of combination of habit and their own initiative, continued the traditional Roman practice of keeping chronological records.
The unofficial nature of the work did not make them unbiased. The clerics had a point of view and they were not shy about sharing it. Fortunately for us, two annals covering the late ninth century have survived and they present rather different perspectives on the same underlying facts.

The Annals of St. Bertin, was written in Rheims by Archbishop Hincmar. Hincmar of Rheims was close to King Charles and clearly had access to information about the entire realm. His annals are strongly biased in favor of the Western Franks (roughly modern France).

The author of the Annals of Fulda is not known, but he is believed to have been based in the east because his account is strongly biased in favor of the Eastern Franks (roughly modern Germany). As with Hincmar of Rheims the author must have been well placed for he was clearly privy to extensive inside information concerning King Ludwig’s (Louis the German’s) court.

Together, these two annals present a fascinating view of the time. However, please keep in mind these are not novels. They read more like blogs written by conscientious, but very biased and opinionated writers.

They are nevertheless extraordinary important documents and rich in period detail. Any historical account written about the period will be heavily based on these two annals. In these pages you will find the first known description of ironing of a shirt, detailed and lurid accounts of extramarital affairs, and intimate accounts of nobles caught between conflicting loyalties.